Chapter 759: Promotion
A faint chill spread through Daniel’s mind, gradually clearing the fog that had clouded his thoughts.
The safety protocols were all functioning perfectly. The mental interface had already redirected him to a controlled, shallow layer of his consciousness. His memories were masked, layered with multiple shells as usual. Praise be to the Outer Wanderer—his mind was heavily fortified. No one could glimpse even the slightest anomaly through the flawless mental barriers.
Not even a powerful archbishop.
Daniel felt a calm settle within him. He knew he had entered the realm of the mind, and yet his facial expression remained perfectly composed.
“Which archbishop am I speaking with?” he asked, his tone respectful yet measured.
The woman opposite him wore a face unfamiliar to Daniel—an identity likely generated just for this conversation, a deliberate disguise. Still, Daniel asked, a natural response from a forthright Sleeper cultist opening up to a stranger of high rank.
“No need to concern yourself with that,” the woman replied coolly. “This face is merely an interface. You are now speaking with the High Archbishop Council. Prepare yourself and answer our questions.”
Daniel nodded obediently. “Yes, I will not withhold anything.”
The woman gave a satisfied nod and began, “Recently, you have been investigating fellow church members in the Aldernan region. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that is true.”
“That is not within your duties as head of security. Why did you conduct this investigation?”
“There have been many rumors about malfunctions in the psychic network. Our security systems detected abnormal fluctuations at certain nodes. I feared the network’s safety was compromised, so I launched an inquiry.”
“Why did you not report this immediately and instead act covertly?”
“I was unsure of the details. I wanted to confirm whether the issue originated within the security system itself. If so, I would handle it according to protocol. If not, I would report it to the High Archbishop Council. This approach conserves manpower and improves efficiency.”
“That explanation is reasonable…” The woman paused briefly, as if consulting with the council behind her. After a moment, she continued, “You mentioned abnormal fluctuations at certain nodes. Can you elaborate?”
Daniel immediately recited the prepared explanation: “I discovered ‘blank connections.’ Some nodes remain linked to the psychic network but show no data transmission. I suspect a large amount of computational resources are being covertly siphoned off or ‘swallowed’ by network vulnerabilities…”
He spoke calmly because this was exactly the anomaly his security team had recently uncovered in the psychic network.
And he was certain of one thing: the lost computational power was not being consumed by the owner’s ‘Origin Space.’ That system’s resource allocation had long been rationalized at the network’s lowest levels—there was no way it could account for such ‘abnormal losses.’ What he and his team observed was a genuine irregularity.
These unaccounted-for resources were likely part of the crisis the High Archbishop Council was desperately trying to conceal. Daniel chose this moment to reveal it not only because the timing was right and he wanted to demonstrate his value, but also because—
As head of psychic network security, the highest authority among the archbishops, if the network’s crisis had escalated beyond the council’s ability to hide, he would be the first to detect it.
If he claimed to have found nothing sensitive, it wouldn’t protect him—it would only raise suspicion.
The room fell silent.
Daniel suddenly felt a subtle shift—as if the entire world outside this room had vanished from his perception, leaving only this quiet chamber, shielded and sealed, watched by every eye of the High Archbishop Council.
The woman before him simply stared.
Daniel knew the final judgment had begun. If he failed, this room would no longer be an illusion—the sole ‘room’ in existence would become his mental prison, his mind trapped here forever.
The verdict came swiftly. The woman smiled faintly.
“Mr. Daniel, are you willing to make a greater contribution to the church?”
“A greater contribution?” Daniel feigned confusion. “You mean…”
“You now have the opportunity to join the High Archbishop Council, to become one of the archbishops. Your talents in network security and architecture are vital to us. The recent anomalies you’ve noticed in the psychic network will be addressed once you gain higher clearance,” the woman said calmly, her eyes reflecting Daniel’s own image. “Mr. Daniel, we must also remind you—higher status means greater responsibility. Once you confront the church’s deeper secrets, there is no turning back.
“So, the choice is yours. What will you decide?”
Daniel paused, his expression solemn. Then he lifted his head and said firmly, “For the church’s benefit, I have long put my life and death aside.”
The moment he spoke, the room’s oppressive stillness shattered. The stagnant sunlight and dust scattered like a broken mirror, dissolving into nothingness. The modest bedroom instantly transformed into a magnificent hall, gilded and grand. Daniel found himself seated at a massive round table.
Around it sat figures clad in white or black robes, embroidered with silent stars and spiraling patterns—symbols of the ‘Awakened Dream’ and the ‘Peaceful Slumber.’ They rose from their seats and applauded Daniel.
“Welcome to us, Mr. Daniel,” said a woman in a white gown opposite him, her smile gentle and serene. “Your joining is of great importance.”
Daniel immediately recognized her and guessed she was the primary persona behind the interface he had just spoken with. He stood and bowed respectfully. “Archbishop Selina Gelph.”
“No need for formalities,” Selina nodded. “Mr. Daniel, you have been promoted. To be honest, it was rather sudden. We didn’t have time to prepare a formal ceremony, nor can we celebrate with you in the physical world. We hope you understand.
“Also, you may feel confused about your new role as an archbishop. We would have given you more time to adjust, but circumstances are urgent. We need you to quickly understand certain matters and get up to speed.
“The specifics will be explained to you personally by His Holiness the Pope.”
Daniel maintained a polite, calm expression, but the mention of ‘His Holiness the Pope’ instantly tightened his nerves.
Almost as Selina finished speaking, a shifting cloud of starlight appeared above the table—
Daniel had no idea when it had arrived. In fact, he suspected it had been floating there all along, unnoticed by his senses.
The next moment, Daniel bowed his head deeply. “Your Holiness!”
“Raise your head,” the starlit cloud pulsed and writhed, a voice echoing directly in Daniel’s mind. “I will get straight to the point—do you still revere the gods?”
Daniel’s answer was rehearsed countless times: “I have no reverence for the gods. Their existence only inspires fear.”
This was the true answer of a follower of the dark cults.
Countless ignorant people feared and misunderstood the three great dark cults. They assumed these cultists were fanatical worshippers of the gods, twisted by excessive zeal into the shadows of humanity. Even some low-level believers began with such misconceptions. But anyone who truly encountered the corrupted dark arts, who underwent the higher-level ‘baptism’ and accessed the secret knowledge, would understand the real nature of their ‘faith.’
“Very good…” The starlit cloud seemed pleased. “What I am about to tell you is a truth most mortals cannot imagine… The gods are not only terrifying—they are shackles imposed on all mortals…”
Daniel blinked.
He knew this. He also knew the name of those shackles: the ‘Psychic Steel Seal.’ His master had long studied this seal. Within the Origin Space, hundreds of formally assigned researchers were investigating it.
He even suspected that, years from now, knowledge of the Psychic Steel Seal would appear in Cecil’s introductory textbooks.
Still, here, he allowed himself a look of genuine surprise. “Shackles?!”
The Pope’s voice echoed in his mind: “Yes, shackles. For seven hundred years, the Sleeper Church has sought a way to break free from them.”
This time, Daniel was truly taken aback.
He believed even his master, the Outer Wanderer, would show surprise and curiosity upon hearing this.
“A way to break the shackles…” he repeated. “How can mortals achieve this?”
“To let mortal minds operate within a sandbox world where no gods exist, until their minds leave the gods’ sight, until the connection between the gods and this world is severed,” the voice continued. “This plan is called the ‘Project Zero.’”
Project Zero!
Daniel’s breath caught. Then a wave of genuine joy surged through him.
He had finally encountered this project, finally understood its true nature!
This secret, directly controlled by the High Archbishop Council, was connected to the Psychic Steel Seal?
Immediately, he linked it to the recent anomalies in the psychic network, connecting many clues—
His expression grew grave, his tone serious. “Could it be… something has gone wrong with this project?”
“We suspect so…” Selina Gelph replied. The archbishop had lived for seven centuries and now existed as a spiritual entity symbiotic with the psychic network. She shook her head. “We suspect that within one of Project Zero’s sandboxes, divine power has appeared.”
…
In a quiet afternoon room, dark-haired Mary lowered her head, immersed in a sea of advanced math problems.
As she finished the last numbers and symbols on the page, the studious young mage finally looked up at her mentor, who was sleeping peacefully in an armchair.
The mentor seemed to be in a deep sleep.
For many years, the old mage had rarely enjoyed such restful slumber. Debilitating neural headaches and hallucinations tormented his mind, making him irritable and restless, stripping away his ability to sleep soundly. This had persisted for over a decade.
It was the gift of their ‘master’ that had given the mentor a chance to improve, indirectly saving every apprentice who suffered alongside him.
That “Master” was truly terrifying. Even now, every time Mary entered that “Origin Space,” she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of nervousness and fear. Yet, at the same time, she harbored an undeniable sense of gratitude toward that very “Master.”
Suddenly, the mentor shifted slightly, pulling Mary out of her brief daydream.
She quickly stood up and approached the armchair. “Mentor, you’re awake?”
Daniel slowly opened his eyes, taking in the familiar room and the familiar apprentice.
The old mage let out a soft sigh. “This time… something truly significant has happened.”
(End of chapter)